It cited Britain's security services as saying they had proof one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spies swiped the vital data from the drugs firm.
Russia’s Sputnik coronavirus jab uses similar technology to the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca together with Oxford University, The Sun noted.
It said last year spies pointed the finger at Putin, saying they were more than 95 percent sure Russian state-sponsored hackers had targeted British, US and Canadian bodies developing a COVID-19 vaccine.
Security teams are now sure the formula was copied, The Sun said.
It quoted UK Home Office Minister Damian Hinds as saying: "Constantly there are foreign states who would like to get their hands on sensitive information including sometimes commercial secrets."
Downing Street has declined to comment, The Sun reported.
(gs)
Source: PAP, thesun.co.uk